Warriors Ride Six-Game Win Streak into NLL Playoffs

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NLL Vancouver Warriors

Warriors Ride Six-Game Win Streak into NLL Playoffs

April 20, 2025 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Vancouver Warriors News Release


The Vancouver Warriors topped the Philadelphia Wings 11-5 at Rogers Arena on Fan Appreciation Night. Vancouver held a 10-3 lead at halftime and while the scoring was limited on both ends in the second half, the Warriors managed the game to secure the win.

The Warriors finished the regular season on a six-game win streak - the longest win streak in team history.

Warriors' General Manager and Head Coach Curt Malawsky said his team has been playing the right way down the stretch and he likes the calmness on the bench. They're confident in their preparation and take the game five minutes at a time.

If the other team goes on a bit of a run, we don't panic at all, we just keep battling through it with the five minutes at a time mentality. We've been pretty disciplined too for the most part, staying out of the penalty box. We did a lot today without a lot of transition goals, if any, we got on and off the floor well. I just think all facets of our game are going now, Malawsky said.

I think everyone just elevated their game and we've got a lot of proud guys on this team so sitting at 5-7 never sat well with any of us and we only know one way to work hard and have an honest effort and that's what the guys have done.

Adam Charalambides, Keegan Bal, Marcus Klarich, Dylan McIntosh, and Riley Loewen each scored two goals, and Kevin Crowley tallied one goal and one assist.

Forward Marcus Klarich, who had a five-point night, felt they did a good job of moving on offence and is looking to fine-tune his game for next week.

For me personally, just be grittier, there's a couple loose balls that I'd love to go back and get - obviously there's going to be some of every game, but I need to make that zero, especially going into playoffs, Klarich said.

Christian Del Bianco stopped 35 of 40 shots he faced against Philly and has been with Vancouver for all their six games during the winning streak. Malawsky says Del Bianco adds to the veteran group the Warriors have and that his teammates gravitate towards his leadership.

I think when you have the strong leadership we had going in, and you add him [Del Bianco] to the mix, it's really big. I'd be remiss not to mention Walshy - who got the game ball today - because he's been a phenomenal teammate and he's a big part of that too, pushing the guys to be better, Malawsky said.

The Warriors finished their regular season with an 11-7 record, the best record in their Vancouver history and most wins since 2010 when they were the Everett Stealth and went 11-5.

The Warriors will host a first-round playoff game at Rogers Arena, which is something Malawsky has been hoping to give Warriors fans since becoming the General Manager and Head Coach of the franchise in 2023.

It means a lot to me in the respect that it means a lot to the fans from Vancouver. That's what it's all about for us. When I came here, I wanted to grow the game and we have a really good team around us, our office staff is phenomenal and we've got all the support from the Aquilini group, I've said that time and time again - they take away the intangibles that we don't have to worry about, Malawsky said.

The players work on their craft year-round and Malawsky says they put their heart and soul into training and preparation to try to make it to the postseason. Seeing the excitement from the fans after the game was a special moment for Malawsky.

It's just a testament to the character of our guys and I think the character of the organization. It's built on hard work, passion and dedication and commitment and I think a lot of those character traits are how our players are built. It's pretty exciting and pretty humbling to be a part of it, Malawsky said.

Klarich is happy to help get some of the Warriors' veterans back to the playoffs and he feels lucky to have that leadership going into his first-ever NLL playoffs.

We've got some guys that have been deep in the playoffs before and won, so it's going to be very important to listen to them, they give so much great advice and follow their lead. We're super excited, Klarich said.

The Warriors will take on the Rochester Knighthawks Saturday, April 26th at 7:00 p.m. PT at Rogers Arena.

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